South Korea and the United States will take steps to expand cooperation in defense technology exchanges and the conventional arms trade, the defense ministry said Wednesday.

In the first ever Defense Technology Strategy & Cooperation Group meeting, Vice Defense Minister Hwang In-moo met his U.S. counterpart David Shear, principal deputy under secretary of defense for policy, to discuss ways to promote defense technology cooperation between the two countries, the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement.

The meeting took place in Washington D.C. on Tuesday (local time). 
"South Korea explained its defense technology protection policy and the need for bilateral defense technology cooperation to the U.S., while Washington outlined its trade policy for conventional weapons and basic rules and principles it follows in the defense trade," the statement said.

The two countries "tentatively" agreed to hold the second DTSCG meeting in 2017, but the venue for the meeting has yet to be decided, a ministry official said.

On the sidelines of the defense talks, Hwang met Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert O. Work to share views on extended efforts between the two allies to cope with ever-growing nuclear and military threats from North Korea, it said.

In its latest provocations, North Korea fired off three ballistic missiles claiming the move was aimed at preparing it forces to carry out pre-emptive strikes against South Korea ports and airfields. All three missiles were launched on July 19, with at least two flying some 500 to 600 kilometers.  (Yonhap)